Foreign Service employees and family members are encouraged to read the following materials to familiarize themselves with contingency planning and evacuation resources. For more information, please contact the Family Liaison Office at 202-647-1076 or 1-800-440-0397 or send an email to FLOAskEvacuations@state.gov.
Attention evacuees: To receive information pertinent to your post's evacuation status, please provide the Family Liaison Office with your contact information, including email address and phone number. The Family Liaison Office is responsible for maintaining contact with evacuees.
Contingency Planning
Personal Preparedness Plan: Prepare for an Unexpected Departure from Post - Checklist for before, during and after an evacuation
Contingency Planning for Single Parents & Tandem Couples with Children
Pets: Contingency Planning for Your Pet
Choosing Your Safehaven: Factors to Consider
Choosing a Safehaven: Considerations for Parents of School Age Children
A List of Important Records and Personal Information to Hand Carry
Evacuation Resources
Welcome Back Evacuation Packet - Includes evacuation regulations, evacuation contact list, evacuation allowance (SEA) information and application forms.
Evacuation and the Foreign Service Family (Foreign Service Youth Foundation Publication)
Evacuation Questions and Answers (Also see DSSR Chapter 600)
Hotels and Lodging Information for Evacuees
Coping Strategies for Evacuees
Long Distance Relationships and Separated Tours: When Couples Live Apart
Employment Options for Evacuees
Unemployment Compensation for Family Members on Evacuation Status
Training / Workshops for Foreign Service Family Members
Evacuation Considerations for Families with School Age Children
Education Checklist for Returning to the Washington, DC Area
Child Care Options
Education Allowance Reference Guide for Evacuations and SMA (intranet)
Evacuation Allowances
Evacuation Questions and Answers (Also see DSSR Chapter 600)
Subsistence Expense Allowance (SEA) - (Also see DSSR 632) - Subsistence Expense Allowance (SEA) is the allowance given to official evacuees. For evacuees returning to the continental United States, the allowance is based on the locality per diem rate of your safehaven location ( If the evacuee's safehaven location is not listed under Domestic Per Diem Rates, then the standard CONUS per diem rate applies). For evacuees at a foreign safehaven, the SEA is based on the lower of the following: the locality per diem rate to which he/she is evacuated or the standard CONUS rate. (Please note that an evacuee's request for foreign safehaven must be approved by the Department of State.)
Filling out and faxing these forms quickly (directions on the forms) will help to expedite the SEA payments to you. Remember to make copies of all documents for your own records.
Subsistence Expense Allowance Application Form (DS-4095 from the Directives/Official Forms website)
Subsistence Expense Allowance Travel Voucher - Itinerary and Expenses Form
Information from the Department of State (DOS), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of Defense (DOD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS/USDA), United States Customs Service, and the Voice of America/International Broadcasting Bureau (VOA/IBB) is also included in the Welcome Back: Evacuation Packet.
PLEASE NOTE: Evacuees should wait until they are in the U.S. or at their foreign safehaven location to submit the Subsistence Expense Allowance forms. Used airline tickets and lodging receipts are necessary for completing the application and applications are not processed without them. Forms may be faxed.
DSSR 600 - Payments During Evacuation/Authorized Departure
600 General
615 Advance Payments
620 Continuation of Salary and Allowance Payments
630 Special Allowances
640 Approval of Agency Regulations
Allowances Immediately Following An Evacuation
Transitional Separate Maintenance Allowance (Also see DSSR Chapter 260) - TSMA is to assist employees with additional costs they incur when their family members are required to occupy temporary commercial housing while establishing permanent housing in the U.S. following an evacuation and the conversion of the post to an unaccompanied status. TSMA regulations can be found in DSSR 264.3 Transitional SMA and 267.1 Determination of Rates (b).
Separate Maintenance Allowance (SMA) (Also see DSSR Chapter 260)
Additional Web Resources
Office of Allowances Frequently Asked Questions
Travel Warnings / Consular Information Sheets
Being Prepared for Any Crisis
Information provided by the Family Liaison Office
Contact the Family Liaison Office
